Destination Strange

The tragic true story of the real-life Simpson's House

If you're a Simpsons fan you may remember that a few years back Fox and Pepsi held a competition and the winner would be awarded a life-size replica of The Simpsons house. Or cash. The house was built and furnished exactly as it is on the show, but alas the lucky winner, Barbara Howard, decided she didn't want to move to Henderson, Nevada and went with the cash. On the show, the house was address 742 Evergreen Terrace, and in real-life it was located at 712 Red Bark Lane.

The 2,200 square foot house was then stripped down and sold for parts. Sad really, it would have made such a great home for a family of five. It was built in 1997 and the decorators took such care and precision that they invested nearly 50 hours to watch 100 episodes to get everything just right. The contest rules stipulated that the winner "either accept the house or a $75,000 cash payment. In addition, the winner of the house, if they chose to occupy it, was contractually obligated to repaint the exterior in accordance with local homeowner's association rules."

The winner was a retired factory worker who went with the $75k rather than own a house in Nevada worth upwards of $125k. It's not that surprising. The winner lived in Kentucky, so it would mean relocating across the country just to live in the house of a beloved cartoon family. Who am I kidding, I'd totally live there!

"The house, located in a subdivision that was permanently named "Springfield South Valley Ranch" took 49 days to build and was unveiled to the public on August 1, 1997. Construction on the house was nearly complete by July 1997, and by September 1997 thousands of people were lining up to see the finished product. During the time it was open to the public in August and September 1997, more than 30,000 people visited the house, including The Simpsons creator Matt Groening." - Wikipedia

Wow, considering how many The Simpsons fans out there and how much income she could have generated from it. The Simpsons themed B&B, The Simpsons Museum, etc. In the words of Marge Simpson, so many opportunities!

about 3 years ago
The tragic true story of the real-life Simpson's House

Remove Ads

Keep exploring with the Roadtrippers mobile apps.

Anything you plan or save automagically syncs with the apps, ready for you to hit the road!